Effects of Neural Gliding Addes to ESWT and Standard Exercise in Plantar Fasciitis (NG-PF)

June 17, 2026 updated by: Bihter Aslanyurek, Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University

Investigation of the Effects of Neural Gliding Exercises Added to Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and Standard Exercise Treatment in Individuals With Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain and may lead to pain, decreased foot function, impaired balance, and reduced quality of life. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy and exercise therapy are commonly used conservative treatment approaches. This randomized controlled study aims to investigate the additional effects of neural gliding exercises when combined with extracorporeal shock wave therapy and standard exercise treatment in individuals with plantar fasciitis.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This randomized controlled trial was conducted to investigate the effects of neural gliding exercises added to extracorporeal shock wave therapy and standard exercise treatment in individuals with plantar fasciitis. A total of 56 participants diagnosed with plantar fasciitis were included in the study and randomly assigned into two groups.

The first group received extracorporeal shock wave therapy combined with a standard exercise program. The second group received extracorporeal shock wave therapy, the same standard exercise program, and additional neural gliding exercises.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy was applied once weekly for five weeks, with 2000 impulses per session. Participants were instructed to perform their home exercise program twice daily for five weeks.

Outcome measures included pain intensity, foot function, muscle flexibility, balance performance, walking-related functional performance, muscle strength, heel raise performance, and physical activity level. Assessments were performed before and after the intervention period.

The aim of this study was to determine whether adding neural gliding exercises to conventional treatment provides additional clinical benefit in individuals with plantar fasciitis.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
56

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Ankara
      • Ankara, Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye), 06010
        • University of Health Sciences Gulhane Training and Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed with plantar fasciitis
  • Aged between 18 and 60 years
  • Male or female participants
  • Willing to participate voluntarily in the study
  • Able to comply with treatment and evaluation procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Lack of cooperation or inability to follow instructions
  • Presence of systemic or metabolic disease
  • Malignancy, osteoporosis, fracture, coagulation disorders, active infection, or pacemaker implantation
  • Pregnancy
  • Receiving any other treatment for plantar fasciitis during the study period
  • Having received treatment for plantar fasciitis within the last 6 months

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: ESWT + Standart Exercise
Participants received extracorporeal shock wave therapy once weekly for 5 weeks (2000 pulses/session) in addition to a standard home exercise performed twice daily for 5 weeks.
Device: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy was applied once weekly for 5 weeks, with 2000 pulses per session.
Behavioral: Standard Exercise Program
Participants performed a standardized home exercise program twice daily for 5 weeks, 10 repetitions for each exercise session.
Experimental: ESWT + Standard Exercise + Neural Gliding
Participants received extracorporeal shock wave therapy once weekly for 5 weeks (2000 pulse/sessions), a standard home exercise program twice daily and additional neural gliding exercise for 5 weeks.
Device: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy was applied once weekly for 5 weeks, with 2000 pulses per session.
Behavioral: Standard Exercise Program
Participants performed a standardized home exercise program twice daily for 5 weeks, 10 repetitions for each exercise session.
Behavioral: Neural Gliding Exercises
Participants performed neural gliding exercises as an adjunct to the standard exercise program for 5 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity (Visual Analog Scale, VAS)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 5
Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before treatment and after 5 weeks of invertion.
Baseline and Week 5
Foot Function Index (FFI)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 5
Foot related pain, disabilitya and activity limitation will be evaluated using the Foot Function Index before treatment and after 5 weeks.
Baseline and Week 5

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Muscle Shortness Assessment
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 5
Baseline and Week 5
Single Leg Stance Test
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 5
Baseline and Week 5
Heel Raise Test
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 5
Baseline and Week 5
One Step Walking Test
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 5
Baseline and Week 5
Muscle Strength Assessment
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 5
Baseline and Week 5
International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 5
Baseline and Week 5

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Gulhane Training and Research Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Yıldız B., Akınoğlu B. Effectiveness of neural gliding exercises combined with extracorporeal shock wave therapy and standad exercise program in individuals with plantar fasciitis: randomized controlled trial protocol. Ankara, Turkiye, 2026.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 26, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 26, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 26, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 17, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 17, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AYBU-PF-2026-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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